Classic Stampede Foods You Have to Try

So much of the Calgary Stampede experience revolves around food . Traditionally, the city smells of fresh pancakes, sausages, and maple syrup, as locals and visitors fuel up for the day at free pancake breakfasts around the city. But when you make it down to the grounds, you’ll require another eating strategy. While modern shock foods are often sought out for their uniqueness or Instagrammability, it’s the classics that have laid the foundation of the Stampede food experience; sweet and salty snacks designed to eat while walking, preferably deep-fried and often on a stick to eliminate the need for a plate and cutlery.

The classics remain my must-haves. There’s a nostalgic thrill that the treats of my childhood are still around for me to indulge in more often than my parents would ever allow. Here’s my must-eat list at the Calgary Stampede.

Corn dogs

Down on the grounds, corn dogs are perhaps the most iconic Stampede food and always my first stop. You can smell the aroma of corn dogs cooking across the midway. They come in two sizes, standard or extra-long, both freshly dipped and deep fried, to be eaten as soon as they’re cool enough to, with a squiggle of mustard down one side.

Mini Doughnuts

Mini doughnuts are a Stampede classic! We stand and watch the batter extrude from the machine into hot oil, wind around the lazy river, flip halfway through, and slide out as golden rings into a dry bath of cinnamon sugar. It’s like the doughnuts themselves have their own midway ride.

Turkey Legs

Another classic, roasted and eaten Flintstones-style, turkey legs provide some protein to balance the sweet, and are easy to eat while walking the grounds.

Fresh Squeeze Lemonade

Because it’s hot and sunny in July, and walking/riding/watching the rodeo requires hydration, fresh squeezed lemonade from the many stands scattered across the Stampede grounds is required to wash all the snacks down. It tastes like summer.

Candy Apples

Another midway classic, candy apples were always my sister’s first pick—the bright red crackly ones. They’ve been around for about as long as the Stampede has and they’ve never lost their appeal. It’s just a bonus that there’s a whole fresh fruit inside that layer of candy.

Fudge

I’m always lured by the slabs of fudge on offer at the Stampede. I always go for maple, or chocolate nut, it’s perfect for sharing and nibbling as you wander. It’s compact, not messy, and gets deliciously soft in the heat without melting.

Ice Cream

As kids, we loved hot dogs and ice cream cones, and we still do. Although it’s not unique to Stampede, there’s something about choosing your flavour, then walking around the grounds while licking off the drips.

The Stampede offers plenty of tasty treats on top of these classic staples each year. Stay tuned for the complete list of this year’s new Midway Food or just let your senses guide you through the grounds.

By Julie Van Rosendaal

April 4th, 2023

Julie Van Rosendaal is a best-selling cookbook author and talks about food every week on the Calgary Eyeopener on CBC Radio; she also writes for local and national publications, and has a popular blog, Dinner with Julie.